Saturday, 22 April 2017

The Autumn Beauty Edit

The changing of seasons brings upon a change in beauty trends and styles. And though I'm not always one to follow them religiously, they do influence what I wear. By far, my favourite makeup trends are always from the Autumn and Winter seasons. Dark lips, and rich, rusty eyeshadows are my jam. I know that there are no rules in the makeup world, but there is just something about the cooler months that makes this kind of makeup just feel so right. So here is a roundup of my favourite beauty bits that will feature in my makeup on a regular basis in the next few months.

SKINCARE

My skincare doesn't change a whole lot during the cooler seasons. I'm still an oily mess most of the time but it's not as bad as summer. I just make sure to hydrate my skin more. My favourite hydrating face mask is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask which I use as an alternate to moisturiser one or two nights a week. As the name says, it's a more intensive moisturiser that sinks into your skin overnight to leave it looking plump when you wake up in the morning. Also, I feel like I should say that just because it's not as hot, you still need to be drinking water to keep up your hydration levels! Water plays a big part in how healthy you feel on the inside and outside, so keep up your good drinking habits.

I'm very lucky that my skin isn't dry so I don't have to moisturise my body very often at all, but I do notice that certain parts get drier in winter, e.g. elbows, knees, heels. So I use the Lush Dream Cream Hand and Body Lotionto combat this. I've tried many body lotions and potions and this is the only one that doesn't make me feel icky, apart from the Soap and Glory Righteous Butter. It sinks into the skin relatively quickly which is one of the main reasons why I love this one and the scent doesn't linger for too long, and isn't heavily perfumed like a lot of the other body lotions on the market.

BASE + FACE

As my skin doesn't as oily during these months, I usually use a fuller coverage foundation. My favourites are the L'Oreal Infallible Total Cover Foundation or the MAC Studio Fix Fluid. You can use a full coverage base all year round, but my preference for them is in the winter. I feel like my face can handle a bit more during those months.

Blush is another thing I like to change up at this time of year. Summer is all about the corals and luminous blushes for me. Peach I feel is a colour I can wear all year round, brighter in the summer and more muted in the winter, like theMAC Blush in Melba. NARS Outlaw is a muted deep rose blush, almost berry in some lights, that is one that gets used often in the winter months. One blush that is on my wishlist is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure, which is a soft plum and would be perfect. A drugstore dupe which I did have until I dropped it and broke, is the Maxfactor Cream Puff Blush in Nude Mauve. For less than half the price, it gives a similar glow to the cheeks.

EYES
I get a bit more adventurous with my eyeshadow which calls for shades of red, cranberry, bronze and gold. Basically the colour of the autumn leaves on my eyes. My custom MAC palette has some of my faves which include Woodwinked, Bronze, Amber Lights, and Coppering. In terms of cream eyeshadows, the one I get the most wear out of is Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in DGAF. It such a unique colour that looks like a dirty rose gold in the pan but once it goes on it has gold and green reflects. Also it's a cream eyeshadow, which means fuss free application! This is the shade I reach for when I can't decide what I want to do on my eyes but want to look like I've made an effort.

For a gold eye look, the NARS Duo in Isolde is fab. A true gold and a darker gold, this is a handy duo to have and the quality is pretty great too! Lastly, probably one of my most prized possessions, the Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Quad in Dolce Vita. Everyone and their mum raved about this palette a year or two ago, but the hype is real guys! A complete look in one palette that can be toned down for day wear with tho option to amp it up for a smokey eye for the evening. The coppery-red shade in this palette is one of my favourites as it's not to bright or intense that it gives you the look of "I've been itching my eye for the past hour", and really brings out the blue in my eyes.

LIPS
I'm all over the dark lips all year round but this seasons just fuels my love for them even more! But in terms of nudes, dusty mauves and dark brown nudes are where I'm at. You've got the classic MAC faves, Mehr and Velvet Teddy, which I were either to work usually. Mehr being a mauve shade while the latter is a warm brown nude that everyone was obsessing over a few years ago. The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencilin Walkyrie is a new addition that has a red undertone which I know I will get a lot of wear out of. My one and only lip gloss, the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 06 is a brown nude which I use if my lips are feeling the matte life that day.

Berry shades look nice worn either as a sheer wash of colour or as a bold statement lip. I'm more for the bold lip, "go hard or go home" is my motto when it comes to the bolder shades. NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned is my pick for this shade but MAC Rebel is on my wishlist. Now onto the deeper and darker shades, my favourite part of this season of makeup! I could list so many shades of lipstick that are my favourites, but I'll just pick the top few that are my ride or die ones. MAC Diva is probably my all time favourite, and my first MAC lipstick. Charlotte Tilbury's Matte Revolution in Glastonberryis one I know I'll get a lot of use out of this winter. My liquid lipstick option is Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Chianti, which is what I wore for my 21st birthday so it has the memories attached too. And my lip liner of choice for all of these options would be the Colourpop Lip Liner in Creature. Colourpop lip liners would have to be the best, and the cheapest, that I have ever tried. They are so creamy and pigmented, I don't know why but I really don't like the MAC ones.

As it is cooler, my lips tend to get really dry. And my habit of licking my lips does not help this. I wish I could find a picture of my younger self when this habit reached it's peak. On my 2nd or 3rd birthday, all of the pictures of me could be mistaken for Ronald McDonald. I am not joking. Thankfully they haven't looked like that since 4th or 5th grade but I worry that sometimes it will come back. So lip balm is essential. Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment or the Clarins Instant Lip Comfort Oil are my top picks.